August i, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
11 
(From Pridham's " Ceylon and its Dependencies." ) 
The tunnel on the Kurunaigallaroad, one of the great 
public worka undertaken by Sir Edward Barnes, has 
lately collapsed, and the road now winds round 
the hill, a further distance of two miles. The waste 
of treasure and human life on this undertaking, 
would scarcely appear defensible, but for the tra- 
dition current among the uatives, that no foreign 
nation could conquer and retain the Kandian 
country, unless they obtained possession of Buddha's 
tooth, bridged the Mahavelli-ganga, and bored a 
road through a mountain. The two first feats 
accomplished. Sir Edward Barnes thought it politic 
to consolidate our empire by displaying before the 
eyes of the astonished Kandians the completion of 
the third. In less than thirty years, his successors 
have felt the British power so firmly baaed, as to 
see with unconcern one of the tests of dominion 
destroyed, and voluntarily to resign another. Nor 
can the recent emeute be said to falsify the grounds 
on which they have acted, for it was but the effer- 
vescence of "ignorant men acted upon by a wily 
and falliug priesthood. 
Bishop Heber's Chaplain makes several char- 
acteristic references : — 
{From h'ohiii.mn's ''Last Days of Biiihop Heher.") 
Sir Edward Barnes's English horses (magnificent 
creatures) brought us into Colombo. In the even- 
ing we went to a small party of heads of departments 
at the Governor's, whose residence is called the 
King's Hou'-e. . 
September 3rd.— The Bishop has been with the 
Governor this morning, and has laid before him his 
wishes with regard to schools. It is a subject of 
great difficulty, and has occupied many hours of 
consultation since we have been here. The Gover- 
nor is ready to do whatever his lordship suggests. 
To-morrow morning we start for Candy. The 
Governor drives the Bishop in his buggy, and I go 
with Mrs. Heber in a palanquin carriage. Six re- 
lays of horses are on the road, and we expect to 
reach Candy (78 miles) on Thursday morning. We 
shall all be glad of the comparative rest which 
this excursion will give us. 
September 16th.— Sir Edward took us this even- 
lag to a beautiful ride, about a mile from the Pavi 
lion, where a gorge in the hills displays a prospect 
which all agree to be the most lovely, even in Cey- 
lon. It is more open and extended than any thing 
we have hitherto seen in this hilly tract, and is 
called Dombra Valley. 
September 17th.— Our friend the Governor is an 
admirable guide through the beauties of his favour- 
ite Candy. 
But of all admirers and writers about Sir 
Edward Barnes, none can equal Major Skinner 
in detail and interest, as the following specimen 
extracts from his autobiography must show. 
The extracts are made very much at haphazard 
where the Governor's name comes in, Avhich will 
explain the abruptness : — 
With such energy and judgment, however, did Sir 
Edward Barnes proceed, that within twelve months 
from the d»te of the order for surveying and tracing 
his new roads, one line of eighty-four miles, from 
Colombo, through the principal grain district, to 
Kandy, was so far opened, and his transport de- 
partment 80 complete, that his supplies for troops 
and his post wnre conveyed by wheels to Kandy with 
ease and celerity. 
The means employed in the construction of the 
first 200 miles of road by Sir Edward Barnes were 
a splendid body of pioneers which he raised, such of 
the native tnops as could be spared for and were 
adapted to the work, and the gratuitous labour of 
the iuhabitants, which, according to their own laws, 
they were compelled to render to the State. 
Although those roads of Sir Edward Barnes were 
surveyed, traced, and opened, through a closely wooded, 
mountainous country, with a rapidity which allowed 
no time for the correction of errors, they fortunately 
exhibit no naiatakes ; they have mainly contributed 
to raise the colony to the importance she has attained 
and on them she is still dependent. * # • 
His personal intercourse with the of&cial headmen 
and chiefs, and their families, was frequent ; hia 
conduct towards them was kind and encouraging, 
evincing an interest even in their private and domes- 
tic affairs, all tending to uphold their respectability 
and influence, while his knowledge of every district, 
and his frequent progresses through them, induced 
every member of his government, whether in the 
metropolitan or rural districts, to exercise the same 
line of conduct towards the natives, and compelled 
them to acquire the most intimate knowledge of the 
country, to prevent th ir appearing less informed 
than he was himself; he had no fears that the 
authority and influence of the native chiefs wouM 
be exercised prejudicially, and by protecting and 
upholding it, strengthened his own government and 
preserved order in all classes of society. His govern- 
ment was characterized by its decision and great 
energy ; during the early part of it, he was com- 
pelled to exact much gratuitous service from the 
people, still he wo i the affections of ail classes to 
his person, and their attachment to hia government ; 
his name is honoured througout the land, as well 
by peasant as by chief. 
Our reports were made weekly to Sir Edward 
Barnes and to the Deputy-Quartermaster-General. 
The former, whenever he had an opportunity, would 
correct our orthography and send back our reports 
for revision, to remind us of the interest he took 
in our doings, and this produced the good he in- 
tended it should, by keeping us all " up to our 
work." Sometimes there would be an encouraging 
remark made with hia broad pencil, such as, " This 
lad with his Kandians is doing well." I also re- 
ceived a letter from an officer of the Quartermaster- 
General's Department, informing me that Hia Ex- 
cellency had observed, and wished me to be told, 
that with my raw untaught Kandians I was accom- 
plishing a larger quantity of work than an equal 
number of skilled labourers of a division of Pioneers. 
This encouragement waa far more effective than 
any amount of fault-finding. 
Sir Edward Barnes often came to inspect the work 
and to encourage his men. He kept the beat table 
I have ever seen, and alwaya insisted on living better 
when travelling than when at home in Colombo ; 
in either case, he invariably dined off an entire 
service of plate. We were alwaya hia guests on these 
oocaaions, and naturally looked forward to the luxury 
of a good dinner served in a first-rate manner. 
mm* 
Hearing that Sir Edward Barnes was in London, 
I called on him in Dover Street, and, aa 1 waa 
taking my leave of him, he said : 
" How are you off for money, youngster ? " 
I replied : 
" Very well, sir, and I expect to get my passage- 
money from the Colonial Office in a few days." 
He told me to wait for a few minutes, went up- 
stairs and brought me down an order on the Board 
of Green Cloth for £25, which he put into my 
hand, and told me to pay him when I returned to 
Ceylon. This generous thoughtfulness quite set me 
up in the world. 
At length, however, difficulties were overcome, 
and I received my due ; but unfortunately, on that 
occasion, a relative accompanied me to the Colonial 
Office, and saw me draw my money. He tried very 
hard to "borrow" a portion of it, but I had the 
courage to refuse him, and said that the first thing 
to be done with it was to pay what I owed. To 
his amazement, I ran off so fast that he could not 
keep pace with me, and I did not feel myself safe 
until I gained admission at 7 Dover Street. Sir 
Edward Barnes fortunately was at home. I waa 
1 out of breath when I thanked him for his timely 
aid, and told him 1 had drawn my money only a few 
I minutes ago. He wanted me to keep the £25 until 
j I could repay him with greater convenience in 
Ceylon ; Ijut I persisted in his allowing me grale- 
fuUy to repay him then when I could do so, and 
abruptly left hia presence before I had well recovered 
